Tubac, Arizona

Tubac is a tiny town and resort 15 miles north of Nogales, Mexico and south of Tuscon.

Just a few miles north of the Mexican border in southern Arizona is a quaint little village and resort named Tubac. I had the good fortune to spend a long weekend there on a golf trip recently. What a charming location!

In every direction we were surrounded by spectacular mountain views. Coming from Virginia I also enjoyed the complete change in trees, landscapes, and architecture.

Interestingly enough, I grew up on a street in New Hampshire called Cottonwood Avenue and had never in my 50 years lain eyes on a cottonwood tree. Now they were everywhere, along with ironwood, mesquite, creosote, and cactus!

The Cottonwood Tree

The golf resort was very laid back and low key. One very quaint feature was the presence of cows on the golf course! Not a lot of them, but here and there they would be grazing on the fairway or in the rough.

At one point my ball went over a fence next to a massive bull. Mine was not the only ball that would remain on that side of the fence. This was one of the largest animals I have ever seen!

The group was 8 men of various family and quasi-family connection. We stayed in a rented condo and fended for ourselves in the kitchen–rather well I might add! The menu included roasted beef brisket, eggplant parmesan (soon to be blogged), and grilled rack of lamb with butternut squash polenta and herbed basmati rice.

We even produced an impromptu dessert one evening sautéing sliced apples in butter, bourbon, and maple syrup. Without naming names, some of us ate better than we golfed!

A ready supply of cheap labor in the kitchen enabled us to enjoy this impromptu dessert of thinly–and uniformly–sliced apples sautéed in bourbon, maple syrup, and butter and mixed with breadcrumbs. it was topped with hand-whipped cream!

Everyone had a job. Joe ran the format of the golf competition, Alan found the place and served as an excellent bartender, Michael drove, Bernie, a retired Army Chaplain offered a heartfelt blessing before each meal, and everyone helped in the kitchen!

In the desert, one must stay hydrated!

The weekend was filled with laughs, 27 holes of golf each day, great cheer and camaraderie.

The Arizona desert has so many different trees that we don't see in the east.Our very southwestern condo!